Title: God Seeking the Righteous
Contents
Title: God Seeking the Righteous
Bible: Genesis 18:20-33
Starting Point of the Word>>
This time, we would like to share the sermon with the title of “God is looking for the righteous” through the words of the text.
If we look at verse 20 of today's text,
“Then the LORD said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and their iniquity is exceedingly heavy.”
As you say, you can see the judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah.
Then Abraham said before the Lord God, verse 23 of the text.
“Abraham drew near and said, “Do you want to destroy the righteous along with the wicked?”
speak.
What does this mean?
At first glance, it may seem that Abraham opposes God's decision, or appears to be rising, but you can see that Abraham's prayer is rather a prayer begging for forgiveness of Sodom and Gomorrah.
It can be seen that his prayer is such a prayer of supplication. In verse 24, he prays to find 50 righteous people, in verse 28, he asks to find 45 righteous people, and in verse 29, he asks for 40. , in verse 30, 30, in verse 31, 20, and in verse 32, ten.
Abraham's plea for Sodom continued until he found 10 righteous people.
But because there were no 10 righteous people, Sodom was judged.
God is still looking for the righteous.
By remembering God who is looking for the righteous in us today, I pray in the name of the Lord that you will become believers who experience the joy of salvation, not judgment like Sodom.
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Then, what kind of God is looking for the righteous today?
First, the God who is looking for the righteous today is the One who hears our prayers.
Knowing that God had destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, where Abraham had his nephew's family, he approached God and prayed.
In verses 23-32 of the text, if we can summarize Abraham's prayer in one word,
“Will you destroy the righteous along with the wicked?”
God listened to Abraham's request and sought to find a righteous man in the city.
But 50 righteous people could not be found. At the end, he heard Abraham's prayer asking for ten righteous people in the city, but he could not find ten righteous people in the city.
Despite Abraham's persistent prayer, God was not angry. He waited patiently until the end, and silently answered Abraham's prayer.
Although in the words of this text there were no 10 righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah, they were judged, but God was pleased with Abraham's prayer in front of that judgment.
That is why, despite Abraham's repeated prayers, he never refuses, perseveres to the end, and answers them.
God still hears our prayers.
Therefore, like Abraham, we must pray to the end and become believers who receive God's answers.
Second, God, who is looking for the righteous today, is patient.
If you look at Psalm 103:8,
“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in mercy.”
said,
In Exodus 34:6 it says,
“The LORD passed before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in kindness and truth.”
I did.
If God had not been merciful, he would have destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah quickly.
However, since God is slow to anger and merciful, he showed his will to Abraham before judging the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and he waited patiently for him.
In addition, God's mercy listened to Abraham's intercessory prayer for Sodom and Gomorrah to the end, and if possible, he tried to make his wish come true.
Thus, God is patient with us until the end.
In the name of the Lord, I ask you to become me and our members who think of the grace of God who endures and waits for us until the end today too.
Third, the God we can understand through today's Word is the God who seeks the righteous.
God said to Abraham, "If you find fifty righteous men in the city of Sodom, you will forgive them all the way for them."
Not only this, He said that He would forgive the city of Sodom even if he found ten righteous people.
So God is looking for the righteous,
Just like a carpenter looking for good wood to build a house, so in this generation where sin and evil are rampant, he is looking for the righteous who will please God and show His glory.
The Bible tells us about God's purpose in seeking the righteous:
① It is to give forgiveness and grace to many people.
According to Jeremiah 5:1,
“Go through the streets of Jerusalem, and look for it in its wide streets, and know that if you find even one man who does justice and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city.”
God wants to find at least one person who is sincere and who does justice and grants forgiveness and grace.
In the name of the Lord, I ask that you have the wonderful grace of being established as one righteous person whom God is looking for at this time.
② It is to add blessings to our blessings.
According to Psalm 5:12,
“O LORD, you will bless the righteous, and with your grace you will guard him as with a shield.”
Said.
God not only gives us blessings, but also promises to be our strength, fortress, and shield, and will protect us even if the rest of the world tries to overthrow us.
③ It is to hear our prayers.
According to Proverbs 15:29,
“The Lord is far from the wicked, and He hears the prayers of the righteous.”
I did.
God is pleased to hear and answer our prayers.
The prayer of the righteous means the prayer offered through faith in Jesus Christ.
May our hearts be filled with the full grace of Christ.
④ It is to fulfill God's plan and will.
According to Genesis 6:9,
“This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a righteous man and perfect in his time, and he walked with God.”
God chose Noah to judge the world with water.
The reason is because, as verse 9 says, Noah walked with God as a righteous and perfect man.
At the end of the speech>>
God is still looking for the righteous who can lead this age and make a difference.
As I have said often, many forefathers of faith recorded in the Bible were not established as righteous people and servants of God because they were all special and possessed great personalities, and because the conditions and circumstances of life were good.
Even though they have the same disposition as ours, I see that they have always been ahead in their faith in God.
This verse is saying that even today, God is looking for the righteous, not looking at other conditions, but looking at how well they stand in serving God.
Even at this moment, God is focusing on us to find the righteous.
I earnestly pray in the name of the Lord that all of our members will have precious faith to stand in the position of the righteous that God is looking for at this time today.